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Understanding and Effectively Addressing the Challenging Behaviors of Children with High-Functioning Autism

Geoffrey Blair

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Published in Addressing The Challenging Behavior Of Children With High Functioning Autism/Asperger Syndrome In The Classroom: A Guide For Teachers And Parents

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High-functioning autism (HFA) is a developmental disorder that affects a child's social and communication skills. Children with HFA often have difficulty understanding and expressing emotions, and they may exhibit challenging behaviors such as aggression, self-injury, and tantrums. These behaviors can be difficult to manage, but there are effective strategies that can help parents and caregivers address them.

What Causes Challenging Behaviors in Children with HFA?

There are a number of factors that can contribute to challenging behaviors in children with HFA. These include:

Addressing the Challenging Behavior of Children with High-Functioning Autism/Asperger Syndrome in the Classroom: A Guide for Teachers and Parents

by Rebecca A. Moyes

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Language	:	English
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Sensory sensitivities: Children with HFA may be overly sensitive to certain sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or textures. This can lead to anxiety and frustration, which can trigger challenging behaviors.
Communication difficulties: Children with HFA may have difficulty understanding and expressing their thoughts and feelings. This can lead to frustration and tantrums.
Social difficulties: Children with HFA may have difficulty interacting with others. This can lead to loneliness and isolation, which can trigger challenging behaviors.
Cognitive difficulties: Children with HFA may have difficulty with problem-solving and planning. This can lead to frustration and tantrums.

How to Address Challenging Behaviors

There are a number of effective strategies that can be used to address challenging behaviors in children with HFA. These include:

Positive behavior supports: Positive behavior supports are strategies that are designed to increase positive behaviors and decrease challenging behaviors. These strategies may include things like providing rewards for good behavior, using visual aids to help children understand expectations, and creating a structured environment.
Social skills training: Social skills training can help children with HFA develop the skills they need to interact with others successfully. This training may include things like teaching children how to initiate conversations, how to respond to social cues, and how to resolve conflicts.
Medication: Medication may be helpful in reducing the severity of challenging behaviors in some children with HFA. However, medication should only be used as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that includes other strategies such as positive behavior supports and social skills training.

Challenging behaviors are a common symptom of HFA, but they can be effectively addressed with the right strategies. Parents and caregivers who are struggling to manage challenging behaviors should seek professional help. A therapist or counselor can help to develop a comprehensive treatment plan that is tailored to the individual needs of the child.